So, I was out with a friend today and one of the things we talked about was the 2nd World War. We got onto this because he said he is going to Berlin.

It got me thinking about Jamie & my visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. So, I just wanted to share the pictures and my thoughts about it.

So, we got to the camp and one of the first things I noticed was all the intact buildings. I was surprised that they were still standing after all this time.

Guard BarracksGoodbye LibertyExit PlatformHello Incarceration

The next thing you notice is the above remaining rail line and platform. It is quite eerie to stand on the platform and look towards the camp. It is so sad that they had no idea what lay in store for them. They were marched to the iron gate in the picture below.

Arbeit Macht Frei – Work Frees

How sad that the phrase on the gate was not true. Arbeit Macht Frei translates to Work Sets You Free or Work Frees. How sad that this was not the case for these prisoners.

The next thing I saw was the remaining watchtowers that were used to keep an eye on the prisoners and to exterminate them if needed. How sad.

Guards Watchtower

The next thing I noticed was the way they were kept from escaping. There was a barbed wire fence, a ditch and an electric fence. The pictures below show a diagram of how it was and how it is when we were there.

Diagram of operational border fenceRemaining border fence

The next thing that we saw was that crematorium. It was eerily cold and quiet. The whole process is awful. There was a stone that marked where the gallows were. Not only were prisoners gassed here, but they were also hung. Awful awful awful thing to happen.

Waiting room. They waited here for the ‘Shower’ – where they waited for murder.

Gas chamber disguised as the shower – where they were murdered.

Cremation ovens. There were 4 in total in this room – where they were cremated.

Leaving the crematorium area, we went back out to the main camp. The next picture is the view down the camp road. There were 30 barracks in total. The 2 that remain are the infirmary and a prisoner barrack.

View down the camp road

The last couple of pictures that I want to share is a panorama of the front of the camp looking across the barracks and the maintenance building. The other is a panorama of the inside of the sleeping quarters. Notice how many beds there are in the tiny room.